Leviathan
by EchoFallsFromGrace
Summary: Coven on the basis that Misty Day is Azazel. Foxxay.


**On the basis that Misty Day is Azazel**

**Headcanoned with and beta-ed by Grace**

**Rated T**

_"You're Misty Day. You were set on fire and left for dead. Whatever troubles you had, they are ours now. You're under the protection of this coven. This is your house."_

Cordelia Foxx never regretted her words. And yet, as she waited for her water to boil, she couldn't help but think that letting the swamp witch so readily into the academy held something much more than just a new student.

The girl's grip had been warm, the visions accompanying her soul scalding. It wasn't the first time Cordelia watched someone burn, their skin burst and their hair vanish in wind and ash, but what Myrtle had gone through held nothing to the weight behind Misty Day's attachment to the stake. There'd been something else inside the vision. Something fleeting, so quick, that it'd left Cordelia reeling. She hadn't asked at the time, too upset at the thought of a young girl being burned to think clearly, though now she wished she had. As time went on, the harder it was for her to remember what she'd seen.

She stiffened as the kettle whistled on the stove top and reached forward blindly, her hands wavering in the air as she followed heat. Her thumb bumped into the handle and she easily lifted it off the flames and onto the counter as her free hand found the knobs and turned off the gas.

"Is that safe?"

She let out a yelp and a little 'fuck' as she righted herself and as her hands slammed onto the counter, finding purchase as her knees buckled. The water sloshed dangerously before her but didn't spill, no steam rising and warming her face. "Who's there?"

The voice mumbled, closer to her ear. "Sorry."

Cordelia shivered at the sudden closeness, warm breaths hitting her cheek and hands hovering above her shoulders. She could feel the girl's aura. "It's safe if you don't scare me, Misty."

"Ya left your mug on the other counter top. Here."

The headmistress tilted her head as the swamp witch placed her cup besides her hand, somewhere by the kettle. "Thank you." She heard the girl mutter back incomprehensibly, but she didn't leave from behind her and the older paused paused, waiting for the younger witch to take a step back. She didn't. "Do you need something?"

"I'm waitin' to see if ya need help."

Cordelia bristled despite herself. "Being blind doesn't make me an invalid."

"Sorry."

The headmistress softened as she reached for her mug and for the kettle. "I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't expect you to know how I feel about this, you're new around here."

"You're a fighter, I'm guessin'? Ya won't let this bring ya down."

Cordelia smiled. "Something like that, but I wouldn't call myself a fighter. All I know is that I don't have time to worry about this. I've shed my tears, I've moved on. There are witch hunters about, Misty, that's more important than me." She moved past Misty, feeling around for the kitchen table. She held her breath, blue eyes dead as she listened to the cajun girl pick up her forgotten cane and place it next to her on the table. She opened her mouth to speak, but the swamp witch's boots clacked as she walked out, and she was left alone without another word from the wild blonde.

It wasn't the first time they spoke, but as lively as Misty was with the other girls, animated as she was with her movements, she wasn't with Cordelia, and it irked her. She figured it was because of her title as headmistress, but there were only a few years between them, much less than between Cordelia and Queenie or Nan. But it didn't matter what excuse the girl used. The silence and the words she chose to use bothered her in ways that she couldn't put her finger on.

And she knew that somehow, it was linked to the visions.

For a few hours, she'd wracked her brains, wondering if the girl and her had met before at one point or another. But the face she'd seen in her magick induced hallucinations held nothing for her, no memory, no emotions. Nothing but a nagging feeling that she did know her, even if she didn't. It annoyed her and she drank angrily, the water burning her tongue.

OOOoooOOO

Misty'd volunteered in helping her up to bed. She didn't mind taking the stairs by herself but there was still that fear of falling in the darkness that gripped at her heart whenever she mounted them, and the wild blonde was so eager to help anyway, she couldn't possibly push her away. Hank was gone and her mother was out, the girls were too busy watching television and didn't care much that she had a splitting headache and wanted to go to bed early. But Misty'd heard her struggling, cane hitting the bannister, and she'd rushed over, appearing like what a shadow might feel like. Her grip on the headmistress's waist was tight on her shirt, pulling it away from her skin as they ascended together.

Misty opened her bedroom door for her, ushering her in and closing it behind them, and Cordelia knew she was watching as she sat down on her mattress, reaching down to pick at her boots' shoelaces.

"I know ya don't need help, but if ya do, say so."

"Are you staying?"

The older blonde felt her stiffen, the air turning cold. "Do ya mind?"

"Not at all. It's actually nice that someone's talking to me." _Even if it is this way._ "My mother yells and auntie Myrtle spends her time lecturing me in a passive-aggressive tone. And don't get me started on the girls." She smiled sheepishly. "I apparently don't have enough swag for them, whatever that means." She heard Misty laugh, and it brought a grin to her face.

Cordelia took a deep breath as she let her boots fall besides the nightstand, or where she guessed the nightstand was. "Misty."

"Yeah."

"Have we met? Prior to now, I mean. I feel like I know you."

There was a long pause as the swamp witch shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her shawl's bells tinkling lightly. "I'd be surprised if ya remembered, but-" The Cajun girl trailed off.

"Misty?"

"But we've danced this dance before."

Cordelia tilted her head as the wild blonde's weight dipped the space besides her, their elbows touching. "I've heard you say bizarre things, Misty Day, but that takes the cake." Misty didn't answer as she tugged on the woman's dress zipper, helping it down so that Cordelia could shrug it off.

"Where's your pajamas?"

"Underneath the pillow."

Misty pushed past Cordelia, stretching out on her side to reach the headmistress's clothes, and she gently handed them to the older blonde. "Here. I'll go wait outside. When you're done, call me and I'll put your things away for ya."

"You don't have to."

She couldn't see, but she knew the swamp witch shook her head as she stood and crossed to the bedroom door.

OOOoooOOO

Misty'd taken to spending longer and longer by Cordelia's side, shadowing her as she walked around the academy, holding her waist when she needed the extra balance, laying back on her bed as Cordelia struggled to put on or to take off her tights and her heels. She didn't say it expressively now, but her offer for help stood to attention every minute of the day.

She'd kicked her knee high boots off, gray socks woolly and too big, and had sprawled horizontally on Cordelia's bed as she got ready for bed, sitting in her nightgown and tying her hair up. Her glasses were forgotten on the nightstand and the headmistress itched to pick them up. She cocked her head to the side as she felt Misty's hands playing with the back of her nightgown, too far from her skin.

The swamp witch's drawl was soft. "If I'd known girls gossiped so much, I'd have stayed at my swamp."

Cordelia glanced back over her shoulder, blue eyes dead as she smiled. "What have they been saying?"

"I don't know if ya want to know."

"I'm a headmistress. I've heard worse than you'd think." The older blonde paused. "I couldn't count the amount of times I've held Madison's hair back as she was sick. She managed to bitch anyway."

"Does she have a habit of catchin' the flu?"

"If by the flu you mean alcohol poisoning, yeah."

Misty giggled from behind Cordelia, her arm thrown over her eyes. The both of them fell silent and the seconds passed as the older blonde brought her knees up to her chest, settling back against the bed's headboard. She patted the space next to her and Misty climbed up to sit besides her, their hands brushing.

"Are you ever going to be honest with me, Misty?"

"Whatcha mean?"

Cordelia turned her face to Misty's side. "Are you kidding me right now? No one takes so easily to someone like you have."

"You'll have to believe it and go with it. Friends of the soul, ya know? If I may."

"Misty." The older blonde took a hold of her fingers. "Misty, Misty, Misty. How do you sound so wise at such a young age?"

The swamp witch burrowed back against her, laughing lightly. "I know more things than you'd think. Why does that make ya surprised?"

Cordelia shook her head. "It doesn't. For some reason, I'd expected it of you." She paused as she bit the inside of her cheek. "Would the girls really make you crawl back to your swamps?"

"I'm not sure I like all the talkin' behind everyone's back thing. But I wouldn't leave ya. Not now."

The older blonde blushed deeply. "That's sweet of you."

"I mean every word of it."

Cordelia looked away, knowing Misty's gaze was deeply ingrained on her face. "What are the girls saying behind your back?"

"What does it matter."

"I can tell them to stop. I don't have much authority around here, but I can tell them to back off."

Misty shrugged. "It's stupid."

"It's not stupid if you brought it up."

The wild blonde rested her forehead on the headmistress's shoulder, laughing lightly. "Apparently, spending too much time with ya makes me a dyke."

"Misty, that's not funny." Cordelia glanced sideways with her useless eyes. "You don't have to take that. Your sexuality, or your gender, all those things, are yours to choose. No one else's."

"Ya sound angry."

The headmistress pulled her arm away from Misty's lap. "I am. These things can be tough to figure out. It's not funny." She repeated, harsher this time.

"Delia."

The older blonde tilted her head at the nickname, pausing.

"It's not a big deal."

"It _is_. People get killed for their genders and their sexuality. Every day. All over. _Damn_ it Misty, Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"What are ya gonna do, get up and go yell at them right this instance?" Misty couldn't help the little laugh that bubbled from her throat. "It bothers me, sure, but I know my truth." She paused, her voice suddenly softer. "It's not like I'm gonna kill myself over this, Delia."

The headmistress let out a slow breath, her hand finding Misty's again. "Sorry."

"I get where you're comin' from. I do. But," The swamp witch mulled her thoughts over. She looked up at Cordelia, frowning. "Are ya bothered that they're callin' me a dyke, or that they're callin' me a dyke for hangin' out with ya?"

Cordelia gritted her teeth. "Stop saying that word."

"Sorry. But what is it?"

"Misty. It's just bad in general, okay? Don't overthink it. There's no reason to." The headmistress raised her shoulders defensively. She waited a moment before speaking again. "Are you staying tonight?"

"Only if you don't start kickin' me."

Cordelia groaned lightly and pushed Misty off, the wild blonde laughing in her ear as she settled down beneath the covers, turning over, her back now to the girl. She listened as Misty threw her socks off and clicked the nightstand lamp off. Finally, the Cajun wrapped an arm around her waist, like she'd taken to doing, and pulled her close.

The first time, it'd bothered Cordelia to the point where she'd pushed her off, but halfway through the night she'd tugged her arms back around her waist, and Misty had happily obliged, sinking back into her. Misty always held her, it was never the other way around, but she didn't mind much.

Her voice was soft as she spoke in the darkness mirroring her own eternal one. "Can I ask you a question?"

Misty was right by her ear. "Yeah."

"What _do_ you label yourself as, anyway?" She felt Misty smile against the skin on the back of her neck.

"I don't need labels. I am all."

"All."

Misty nodded into her, and fell quiet.

"What does that mean."

The wild blonde sighed softly. "Delia."

Cordelia turned in her arms, dead eyes searching a face she could not see. "Misty." Misty's hand raised and tucked a strand of hair that'd fallen from her ponytail back behind her ear. She pushed her jaw into the girl's touch, nudging for an answer.

"Ya wouldn't understand."

"Probably not. I don't get how you can be 'all'."

"I just am." Misty teased lightly. "I am all and I see all."

"Be honest with me. Are you high?"

She listened to Misty bite on her lower lip. "On ya, yeah."

"Shut up."

"Are ya blushin'?"

"Mist, please."

"Ya wouldn't understand." The swamp witch echoed. "Your mind couldn't take it. Quite literally."

"Excuse you." Cordelia edged closer, stopping when she guessed she was inches from the girl's face. "Try me, will you?"

"Ya don't want it."

"Why, because it's the truth?" The headmistress teased. "Are you afraid of telling me the truth after all?"

"_Ya_ should be."

Cordelia paused, slightly taken aback by the bluntness of her words, her statement. She breathed out. "Misty."

"Some things stay secrets for a reason."

"I can't tell whether you're being serious, or if you're pulling on my leg."

The swamp witch smiled, turned the headmistress around, and burrowed into her.

Cordelia blinked, but left it there.

OOOoooOOO

Misty hummed aimlessly as the bells attached to the feathers in her hair sounded, her head nodding back and forth as she moved to the music in her head. Cordelia sat on her bed, head tilted towards the running sound, following the Cajun girl as she moved left and right and left again, all over the room.

Misty finally fell besides Cordelia, her head by the woman's hips, elbows at the edge of the mattress. She nudged the headmistress's ribs with the top of her head before settling down, blue-green eyes on the older blonde, watching her as she rested her chin between her laced hands.

"Whatcha thinkin' bout."

"I'm wondering if you're any good at dancing."

"What?"

"You're always dancing. In my head it's pretty, but for all I know you've got two left feet." She explained. A giggle was torn out of her as Misty reached over and pinched her side. The swamp witch sat up, curling her legs beneath her, and propped her chin onto the headmistress's shoulder.

"Ya know Stevie?"

"If you think I don't at this point, then we're both in trouble."

Misty spoke into her ear, lips hovering over the skin of her neck. "I dance like her."

Cordelia breathed out. "Okay."

"Thoughts?"

"Scrambled."

Misty laughed and suddenly bit the woman's earlobe before pulling away, Cordelia turning her head to follow her. The swamp witch fell back onto the bed and the headmistress followed her down, fingers finding the wild blonde's instantly.

Cordelia sobered. "I talked to the girls."

"I'm sure that conversation was rivetin'." Misty answered. "What'd ya get out of it?"

"Zoe apologized for everyone, as she would." The older blonde whispered back. "Madison said she was sorry." Misty turned into her to hum into her neck. "And we both know what that means."

"Hmm. I love the faith ya put into 'em."

"They're good girls, don't get me wrong." Cordelia wanted to push into Misty, but she kept her dead eyes on the ceiling. "I just don't know what I'm going to do with them, Mist."

"Just go with it, I think." The swamp witch draped her arm over the headmistress's hip. "Maybe ya should sleep on it."

"That's all I do. Sleep. I'm tired of sleeping." The older blonde grouched. "I slept when I was blinded and I slept when I was told Myrtle was gone, I slept when Madison went missing. I slept when Hank-," She paused and mulled her thoughts over. "I just sleep a lot. It's annoying."

"If ya need to sleep, ya need to sleep. No matter how annoying it is. And whatcha mean by Hank?"

Cordelia turned to face her, frowning lightly. "I'm not stupid, Misty. He can act all the parts he wants, but he can't act the saint. I mean, who's _dumb_ enough to buy dinner for two on a shared bank account? A dinner I didn't see, a dinner he had while out of town, halfway across the country."

"He is. Stupid, I mean."

"Yeah." Cordelia laughed lightly, brokenly. "I guess he is."

Misty burrowed into her neck, sighing. "He's always been."

The headmistress stilled. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Ya gonna tell him ya know about him bein' a right bastard?"

Cordelia waited a moment before answering. "Not yet. I mean, I don't have legitimate proof. He'd probably say he was extremely hungry or something. And I'm not looking forward to mother telling me 'I told you so'." She sighed. "Don't you get tired?"

"I'm just tired in general." Misty admitted. "But I did sleep a lot when I came back."

"You make it sound like this resurrecting thing is more frequent than it's been." The older blonde said quietly. Misty didn't answer, and she shifted uncomfortably. "Don't stare at me."

"How'd ya know."

"I just know. Why don't you answer me? You brush everything aside."

"What do ya want from me?"

"Answers, Misty."

"The truth, ya mean."

Cordelia breathed out as the wild blonde pulled her closer.

"Ya always were curious. So curious."

"Stop that. Stop with the riddles. Please."

Misty spoke into her neck, her nose moving to nudge the woman's ear. "Why are ya so insistent. You're your own undoin', ya know? That's how it starts. With questions. And then it all goes to shit."

"It goes to shit when you don't ask either." Cordelia whispered back. "Believe me."

"I guess we need a middle ground, then." The Cajun girl smiled against her. "How's that sound?"

"Better than what you've given me so far."

"How are your visions, do they hurt?"

"Only if they're meant to."

"This one's gonna hurt like a bitch then."

Misty suddenly straddled Cordelia, her knees on either side of her hips and she leaned over, hands palming her hair. The headmistress's own hands flew to the girl's sides, holding on tight to her, gasping out at the sudden movement. "Misty-"

"I am all, Delia." The girl whispered. "Forbidden fruit is the original sin, yeah?"

"Y-yeah."

"I am all, and you can see all." Misty leaned forward, framing the older blonde's jaw with her fingers. "Open your third eye." Cordelia arched beneath her, mouth opening as she gasped out, her chest heaving for a second before she stopped breathing, her body shaking beneath the swamp witch's.

Misty watched silently as the woman began to cry out, fingers grasping onto her shirt and pulling hard, foam forming at the corners of her mouth as her blind eyes opened and closed rapidly. The Cajun girl held the headmistress down, hands firm on her shoulders as Cordelia thrashed.

The wild blonde watched endlessly as Cordelia didn't breathe, as she shook and as she whimpered and as tears ran down her cheeks. She grappled at Misty's arms, bringing her down against her, rasping words that held no language into her ear. Blood began to pour out of her nose and Misty wiped it away as best as she could with her thumbs, shushing her as Cordelia stilled one last time, arched into the air.

The headmistress's head lolled to the side as she passed out, back hitting the bed. Misty sighed softly, pushing the woman's hair out of her face as she listened to her breathe again. She fell besides Cordelia and pulled her in, their foreheads touching, and she waited.

OOOoooOOO

It'd been only a few hours since she'd woken up in her bed, only a few hours since she'd been blessed with black an ice blue eyes and her fingers were itching to feel the greenhouse's plants beneath their pads. Her mother'd banned her from her sanctuary, and her heart was beating wildly now as she descended the stairs despite Myrtle's warnings and her pressuring the headmistress to get some rest.

She paused beneath the chandelier, listening to the conversation the girls were having in the salon, and felt somewhat guilty for prying. But there it was, Misty's voice. She'd yet to see the face that belonged to the songs. Her fingers tightened around the wooden bars, knuckles white, and she called out.

"Misty?"

The Cajun girl's voice floated back. "Miss Cordelia?"

"I'm going to the greenhouse, would you care to join me?"

There was a pause and she listened as a few other giggles rang out, and she blushed even though no one was there to watch. She heard Misty shush Madison angrily, a light slap given to an exposed thigh. "Yeah, gimme a minute!"

Cordelia smiled and moved into the kitchen, crossing into the backyard and going down the short steps into her greenhouse.

She let her new eyes rake the place in astonishment. So little had changed, nothing was new and it shouldn't have made her emotional, but she felt her throat close as she played with the plants around her, some begging for life, most flourishing at her arrival. It was like they were waking.

She stiffened as two strong arms encircled her waist and pulled her flush against a tight chest.

"I think your plants missed ya, it's like they're singin'."

"Misty."

The swamp witch nodded into her neck. "Why are ya shakin'?"

"I've only ever seen you in my vision. The one I got the first night you were here." Cordelia said quietly. She looked down at the girl's hands, playing with her ringed fingers. "I'm a little hesitant."

"Nobody's ever died by lookin' at me, don't worry."

The headmistress shook her head, grinning.

"Are ya gonna turn around?"

"Your grip's kinda tight, Misty."

The swamp witch let out an angelic laugh, clear and light, and she rested her hands on the counter in front of Cordelia, leaving her more space, but still close to her. Cordelia took a light breath before turning around, her blue and black eyes starting at the girl's waist, traveling up her chest and into a smiling face.

"Well? Have I turned ya to stone yet?"

Cordelia paused, taking her in. She stilled, her hands on Misty's forearms as she searched her face, thoughts and images and phrases flying through her mind. She looked away, then back at the swamp witch, unable to form words.

It took some time, her throat dry and her tongue heavy, but finally, she found a word. It didn't make sense to her (she wondered if it would to Misty), but it fit.

"Azazel."

Misty smiled.

OOOoooOOO

"It's all coming back, you know."

"What is."

"Whatever you showed me. It's a mess and it's giving me a headache, but it's all coming back. But I'm not understanding any of it."

"It's a middle ground." Misty shrugged.

Cordelia looked away for only a second. She found it hard now to keep her eyes away from the Cajun girl, and she glanced back down at the swamp witch sprawled by her, arm thrown over the headmistress's waist and face pushed into fluffy pillows. Her arm propped the older blonde's laptop up.

"You're telling me I bled through my _nose_ for three days straight, for this? Snapshots of plants and bright lights?"

"I'm pretty good at cinematographic visions, aren't I."

"I had foam caked around my mouth, Misty. Do you know how disgusting it is to wake up with that?"

The necromancer giggled, burying her face a little farther into the covers. "I guess I shoulda wiped it up."

Cordelia blew air through her nose forcefully. "Yeah." She smiled softly as the wild blonde pulled her closer, but quickly sobered. "Misty."

"Hmm."

"What does Azazel mean? Why was that the only thing I could think of?"

"Middle grounds, Delia." The wild blonde pulled herself up and rested her chin in her hands. "I can't tell ya."

"You can't, or you don't want to?"

"I can't." Misty answered shortly.

Cordelia scrunched her nose, slightly annoyed. "Can I google it?"  
>"I'm not allowed to say it myself, but I can't stop ya from lookin'."<p>

Satisfied enough with the answer, the headmistress began tapping away on her computer, glancing sideways once in a while to check on Misty, who'd curled back up into her side, watching her as she searched. She got results back quickly enough, and she went through them with wide, mismatched eyes. "A horned lord of the underworld? Misty." She turned to the necromancer, but the wild blonde didn't answer, gaze fixed on the laptop, mouth hidden by her raised arms.

The headmistress started to follow leads of small things that she could remember, words and phrases that made her pause and kickstarted wild memories. She made little noises whenever she found something, and could feel Misty smile into her when she did.

Time passed quickly as she dug deeper and deeper into the expanse of knowledge that was the internet, and Misty nodded off more than once, shaking herself awake only to yawn and pull the headmistress impossibly closer. Cordelia learned quickly enough that whenever she mentioned something aloud, Misty would either scrunch her nose or smile when she was right or wrong, even as she slept, and she followed those motions through her wild searches as hints to the truth. But when she asked bluntly, Misty only stared back at her, unwilling to speak.

The Cajun girl finally fell asleep around the time the alarm clock showed one in the morning, snoring lightly and shifting endlessly in what resembled a fitful sleep as Cordelia began muttering words aloud. She'd fetched a notebook hours before, and was busy scribbling messy notes into it, biting her lower lip and pushing her glasses up her nose as she read conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory. She glanced Misty over when she remembered to, pulling up the covers when she trembled wildly and throwing them off when she began to sweat uncomfortably.

She paused on a webpage full of black and crimson reds, her eyes skimming over the word "satyr". She wanted to nudge Misty awake, but knew she'd be reprimanded in an angry Cajun drawl if she did, and stuck to reading down the text. Even though her searches had led her there, she couldn't find the connection, and it irked her. The grandfather clock down the hall sounded three times and she sighed through her nose, knowing that she needed to get some semblance of sleep.

Misty was gone when she cracked her eyes open, the spot next to her still warm, and she reveled in the earthy smell for a few seconds before finally throwing her leg over the side, yawning as she found her footing.  
>She'd gotten her eyesight back the week before, but she had yet to get used to the feeling of depth again.<p>

She dragged her feet as she walked downstairs, dawn breaking through the windows, wrapped up in her nightgown. She followed the sound of crunching, and smiled when she found Misty at the kitchen table, a cereal bowl in front of her. "Hey."

"Hmm."

"Someone's pleasant this morning."

"I was reprimanded last week for talkin' with my mouth full." Misty threw her a look over her shoulder as she swirled her milk with her spoon. "How'd the fishin' go."

"I have questions, you know that. And I happen to know that you won't answer me. So why are you asking?"

Misty smirked as she watched Cordelia cross to the open cupboards. "I like it when you get strung up. But I would like to know what ya found."

The headmistress grabbed the iced tea from the fridge and sat herself across from the necromancer. She raised an eyebrow and waited as Misty moved her chair to be closer to her, shoulders touching. "Tell me."

The necromancer listened almost lazily, her blue-green eyes not leaving her cereal as she tilted her head to listen to Cordelia, swirling her now pink colored milk with her pinky finger. The older blonde paused after a moment and turned to look her down.

"Do I have any of that right?"

"I can't tell ya. All I can do is listen."

Cordelia nudged her. "But your smiles there told me all I needed to know." She leaned back in her chair. "So. Debts, huh?" Misty bristled, but said nothing. The headmistress took on a sing-song voice. "Am I right?"

"I don't know."

"You're useless."

Misty stuck her tongue out. "Always have been." She stood and picked her bowl up, headed for the sink, but paused to whisper in the older blonde's ear. "That's what ya said to me when I couldn't find the garden's keys."

OOOoooOOO

"Where's my phone? Who took my phone?"

Zoe and Misty looked up from where they sat on the couch, the youngest witch's eyebrows running up into her hairline as she glanced uneasily at the necromancer.

"No idea." Misty answered. "And shoutin' won't help ya find it."

"Listen here demon bitch, I know you know where my phone is, or if Nan stole it or what. So just fucking tell me."

Misty stood and turned to face Madison Montgomery, fuming and with her arms crossed over her chest. "First of all, lower your voice." She took a step forward and stared the girl down, who'd lost some of her courage as she watched the necromancer approach. Her hands fell limply at her side. "Second, if you're going to insult me, use my proper terms." She pushed the telekinetic's chest in. "And ya know what they are."

"Just tell me where my phone is."

"Ya want to owe me once more? I don't do anythin' for free."

"It's a _fucking_ phone, Misty!"

Zoe's voice rose from the couch. "Madison, stop. Find it yourself."

"See? She's smart." The necromancer smiled softly. She picked her book up and headed for the hallway, glancing over her shoulder as she left. "Ya two owe me a lifetime. Don't make it worse than it already is."

She turned the door's corner and almost smacked into Cordelia. The headmistress held a cup of tea, and had obviously paused to listen to her students' conversation as she was making her way back to her office from the kitchen. Her gaze was lowered on the floor and she was fidgeting, biting her bottom lip at being found with her ear to the living room.

Misty tilted her head to the side as the older blonde finally looked up, mismatched eyes blazing. "What are your proper terms then?"

OOOoooOOO

"You can't waltz in here and act like nothing's wrong."

"Nothin's wrong."

Cordelia gazed down at the swamp witch's head in her lap, her fingers fixed in her wild hair. She'd looked up from her book, the thought striking her almost ten minutes after Misty's arrival in her bedroom. The necromancer had crawled under the cover and'd curled up against Cordelia wordlessly, trying to pass herself off as invisible. It'd worked for a little while, the headmistress's fingers finding their way to her body subconsciously.

The older blonde watched Misty, thoughts running through her head. Bits of her visions. Memories. She sighed as she raked her nails against the Cajun girl's scalp, watching her shiver. "Why does this feel so natural, Mist?"

"Because it is. It's always been." Blue-green eyes opened to meet mismatched ones and the necromancer smiled lazily.

"What would a garden mean to you?"

"Lots of things."

"Misty."

The necromancer sighed and closed her eyes, sporting a light frown. "What can ya see?"

"I-" Cordelia paused, thinking. "A willow tree." She let her head fall against the wall behind her. "And there's a light breeze. Enough to be comfortable, it's not strong enough to buffet, but it's moving your hair slightly. It smells sweet."

"Like peaches."

"Like-" Cordelia looked down at her. "Yeah. Like peaches." She shifted awkwardly beneath the necromancer. "Misty, how long."

"How long what."

"How long have we known each other?"

Misty opened her eyes to gaze back at the older blonde. "Ya can't put time on it."

"What's that mean."

"I told ya. I've told ya. You've never listened." The cajun girl turned in her lap, her back to Cordelia as she curled up on herself.

"You're shutting down on me."

Misty didn't answer, and Cordelia sighed shortly, putting her hands back on the girl, rubbing circles into her skin. She opened her book again, but kept glancing down at the necromancer, too busy watching her to properly read her page, going over the same line over and over again.

The necromancer's breathing evened out as Cordelia continued her motions, her back rising and falling slowly. She snored lightly, the headmistress had to listen to hear it, but it was there as Misty turned back around and as her arms tightened around her legs, as she burrowed her head deeper into her lap.

She'd said it before, but the word 'natural' was the only word that could explain the feeling coursing through her veins as she watched the girl sleep against her. It was the only word she'd felt since she'd met the necromancer. That emotion was her current anchor, nothing else made sense, anyway. Not her family, not her marriage, not her academy. But this strange Stevie loving blonde did.

At least she had that.

OOOoooOOO

"Are ya okay?"

Cordelia laughed brokenly as she wiped the counter down, unable to turn around and look Misty in the eye. "I'm sorry you had to see that. He always was a terrible drunk. I can't say I'm embarrassed, it wouldn't be enough of a word for how I feel right now. I want to crawl under a table and die."

"It's not your fault."

"I married him. It kinda is." The headmistress replied angrily. She threw her rag down and braced herself against the wood digging into her hips. She closed her eyes. "God, I'm such an idiot."

"Don't let Him hear ya."

Cordelia shook her head, fighting a smile as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"Ya need a picker upper."

"I'm not much of a drinker since that bar stint, to be honest."

"Who said anythin' 'bout alcohol?"

Cordelia finally turned, wiping at her eyes with the palm of her hand. "I thought Madison'd given me all her marijuana when I asked her to."

"It's not weed neither." Misty shook her head, curls bouncing. "And I'm not stupid enough to go into your ma's coke stash." She winked at the headmistress, and seeing her dejected look, finally opened her arms. Cordelia walked into them easily, tucking her head into Misty's neck. She breathed tightly against her.

"I really am sorry. I didn't think he'd come back. You'd think he'd understand changed locks as a 'leave me alone'."

"He's not the brightest bulb." Misty spoke into her hair. "Can I use your workin' station?"

"Knock yourself out."

Misty waited for Cordelia to let go, but she didn't. The necromancer held her a little longer, and when the headmistress's hold slackened, she let go and and moved to the greenhouse's island, tugging Cordelia with her and keeping her close. "I'm gonna steal some bay leaves, and roots off that plant over there, and that one killer one in the purple room. Ya okay with that?"

"That's fine." Cordelia rested her chin on her shoulder. "Though I can't pretend to know what recipe you're trying to make."

"I wouldn't expect ya to." Misty passed her hand over the woman's shoulder blades before moving to the other side of the room, picking at what she needed as Cordelia watched silently. "You're an extremely gifted alchemist, but some ancient rituals were never written in a book." She glanced back at the older blonde and grinned. "Don't look so offended."

"Sorry."

Misty moved back to her side and grabbed at a mortar and pestle, sticking all she'd found inside. She reached into her shirt, somewhere between her bra and skin and Cordelia turned away, blushing, as she fetched a little herb bag. She opened it and emptied it into the bowl, mixing it with her fingers, tongue sticking out of her mouth in concentration. "Ya got any rollin' paper?"

"I, Misty, no."

"Right. Sorry. If I remember, Madison said somethin' about smokin' in here when you get high strung. She probably left some around here."

"Misty, don't you think I would have found it if she had? And anyway she wouldn't-Oh."

The necromancer glanced up and smirked from where she was kneeling, paper found in a potted plant. "How well do ya know your girls?"

Cordelia bit her lower lip, embarrassed. "It's a habit. I couldn't expect her to break it." She watched, mismatched eyes wide as Misty made a blunt, tying off the ends and licking the paper closed. She held it up for the older blonde to see, grinning.

"As headmistress, let me stress that this isn't a good idea."

"No. It's a brilliant idea. I ain't your student anyway."

"Misty-"

"Loosen up. I'm sure you've tried it before."

"I can assure you I haven't." Cordelia wrinkled her nose. "What is it, anyway?"

"I have no idea. But man, it gets ya plastered. Got a lighter, or do I have to find Madison's?"

The headmistress shook her head, but reached for her own on the other counter, passing it over easily.

"I'd sit if I were ya. When this thing hits, it hits hard." Misty said, settling down herself, back against the wall. She patted the floor next to her, and the older blonde sighed before following her, siting down besides her, knees touching. The necromancer lighted it, watching as the paper began to curl up on itself and as a strange purple smoke rose from it.

"This doesn't look healthy."

"It's probably not. Ya want first huff?"

"Not really."

Misty shrugged and raised the blunt to her lips, smoking it in. She passed it to Cordelia, who frowned as she took it, and who began to scowl as the wild blonde nudged her repeatedly. She sighed audibly but did as she was told, closing her eyes hard as her head began to swim.

"God, you weren't kidding. That took two seconds to hurt."

"I don't lie."

Cordelia glanced accusingly at her, but didn't say anything as she smoked the blunt again before giving it to Misty.

Her heart was thumping in her ears and the lights had turned hazy from both the smoke and her own warped eyesight. And yet, there was a certain clarity to her thoughts. Misty had fallen sideways at one point, resting the back of her head on Cordelia's taut stomach, gazing up at the ceiling. They went through the herbs easily, Misty throwing the nub somewhere across the room in her drug filled haze.

Her mouth felt like cotton, but somehow her words were floating out of her throat. She hoped Misty's ears were as strung along as her lips to understand. "I know you don't talk about it, but I have a few guesses as to what's going on."

"Do ya."

"Yeah."

They fell silent, Cordelia's fingers finding Misty's in the air and they hummed aimlessly together, following musical leads. She finally broke the tension, breathing lightly.

"Those debts you mentioned to Zoe and Madison. They owe you for bringing Kyle back, don't they. They summoned you when they tried bringing him back. It wasn't them and their ritual that managed anything. It was you. Necromancers don't get summoned like you do, Mist."  
>The necromancer suddenly moved to straddle the older blonde, and Cordelia watched as she pressed her lips to the inside of the older blonde's wrist, moving up to embrace the crook of her elbow, nipping at her collarbone before pressing a languid kiss against the woman's jawline, pausing as she breathed her in.<p>

"Ya taste like ya did back then, like peaches." Misty whispered in her ear, fingers tightening around her wrist. "But you've got that extra hint of cinnamon that only your lips had before. It makes your skin spicy. It makes ya dangerous." She paused to kiss her cheek again, at the corner or her lips. "I can't say I hate it."

Cordelia breathed against her, blinking as rapidly as she could, high on whatever she was high on. "You're not human, are you. You're an immortal. How long has it been? How long have you been looking for me?"

The necromancer's fingers were bruising the headmistress as she towered above her. "An eternity. Longer."

The older blonde's throat was dry and she licked her lips as she angled her head up, Misty's mouth hovering over hers. "Are you the Leviathan?"

A giggle bubbled from the cajun girl's lips. "No. No I'm not. But I was yours." She paused. "I am human, Delia. I'm not immortal. Not exactly, anyway."

"Reincarnations, then?"

"I can't answer ya." Misty giggled, kissing her cheek again, lingering there as Cordelia held her against her. But the gleam in her blue-green eyes was enough answer. The headmistress suddenly turned her head, capturing Misty's lips with her own, kissing her softly and enjoying the way Misty slumped into her, moaning into her mouth.

She pulled away reluctantly. "You taste like vanilla." Cordelia hiccuped out, her fingers tight around the back of Misty's hair. "Vanilla and peppermint. I love peppermint."

"Oh, I know."

A whine escaped from the headmistress's mouth and she tugged Misty down to her, kissing her again, letting her lips freeze time with the necromancer's.

"God I've missed ya."

OOOoooOOO

Misty'd found a lizard in the greenhouse, five inches long with a blue tail, and she hadn't let it go since. It (the necromancer swore it was a boy, but Cordelia didn't want to hear any of it) had gotten used to travelling around on her shoulder, its little tongue darting out every so often to taste the air.

What unnerved the headmistress the most though, were the sudden visions she received whenever she saw Misty whispering to the reptile, her blue-green eyes fixed on the older witch from across the room. Memories of lush gardens and snakes, a horned woman talking in an ancient tongue. Cordelia always became breathless, and she found herself breaking gaze every time, looking down and away.

But even though the girl's sheer presence caused inner turmoil, she'd easily accepted her embrace that night as she cried and sobbed and threw little tantrums, horrified at what Hank, her husband, the only man who'd ever cared _just enough_, had done. She'd sat, back against the headboard and a pile of tissues in her lap as she recalled tales of her late husband that should have sent her running for the hills when they had happened. That love, or whatever it was that had blinded her, had kept him by her side, even though she knew he hadn't been faithful. And Misty had listened, holding her hand lightly in hers, tracing circles into her skin. To add to her warring state, Cordelia fought with herself on the kiss she'd shared with the wild blonde, but of all the things that had happened in their short week, that was the least of her worries. She just didn't care.  
>And neither did the necromancer. She welcomed it. She welcomed the breathless gasps and the confused looks and the stolen kisses in the dark when everyone was asleep.<p>

Misty stood right behind her in the greenhouse, dancing lightly on her feet with the lizard in her hands, cooing at it, murmuring Stevie Nicks lyrics to it, glancing up every once in a while to watch Cordelia.

The headmistress's voice was soft. "Why do you like Fleetwood Mac so much?"

"That's like askin' me why I like breathin'." The necromancer grinned at the older blonde who'd turned to gaze at her, drying her hands on a towel. Her smile faltered as she looked into the reptile's face, talking almost more to it than Cordelia. "My last incarnation was a hippie."

"Stop."

Misty glanced up. "No, I mean it."

"Do you remember it?"

"Yeah. I remember every life. That one's end included drug overdose." She shrugged, laughing lightly. "Ya know, a hippie." She opened her mouth to continue, but they both paused as Cordelia's phone began to buzz on the island, and the headmistress leaned over to see why. She began to scowl, and Misty couldn't help but wonder. "Is it who I think it is."

"It's Fiona."

"Ignore it. The last time she talked to ya, ya came back sportin' that bruise ya got now."

Cordelia looked up as she worried her bottom lip, hand itching to rest on her cheek.

"Delia, ignore it."

But the headmistress was already walking into the backroom, cradling her phone.

Misty yelled after her. "I don't see why ya let her walk all over ya." She began to mutter to herself, the lizard at eye level. "Of course she'd wind up with Lilith for a mother. Of course He let them find each other and Adam walk into her life. Of course it was easy for them and of course I had to search for years upon years to-"

"What are you rambling on about?"

"Nothin'."

Misty tilted her head back, following Cordelia's hand as she ran her fingers through her hair. She fought back a groan.

"I get that you're not going to tell me the truth, but you could at least stop yourself from lying."

"What did she want?"

"She just wanted to know where I was. She's been my human tracking device ever since I visited Marie."

"And yet she's the one who-"

"Mist."

The necromancer turned away. "It's a good thing ya can't have kids, otherwise your mother'd mess them up too." She paused, waiting for an answer, but got none. She turned on herself, looking for Cordelia, but the headmistress had retreated to a corner of the greenhouse, seemingly interested in a hanging plant. "Delia?"

"Please don't."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have but-"

"Shut up."

Misty crossed to her and even though the older blonde weakly fought against her, she wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her in. Cordelia grasped at her ringed fingers, trying to pry her off, but Misty only held her tighter, her mouth by her ear.

"What is your deal?" Cordelia snapped, panting as she tried to wriggle away.

"It's the truth, okay? Ya wanted the truth and there it is. Your mom's a bitch that ruins everythin'."

"Misty-"

"Ya love kids, yeah. Ya love hangin' out with them and teachin' them but let's be honest, you'd hate to have your own." The necromancer tightened her grip on the older woman. "It'd tie ya down. Ya hated it before."

"Stop it." Cordelia finally pushed her away, angry tears in her mismatched eyes. "Stop talking about before like I should know what you're going on about. It's fucking annoying. And I wish I could remember but I can't. I can't, Misty, I don't remember any of it because _it didn't happen_."

The wild blonde looked away.

"I wish I understood, Misty Day. I do. But I don't."

Misty opened her mouth to respond, but with a shake of her head and a light groan, Cordelia's lips were suddenly against hers, her fingers tangled in her curls as she moaned with abandon. The necromancer's own hands raked down her back, leaving reddening marks. The headmistress pushed her into the opposite counter, angling her head up to capture the necromancer's mouth with her own.

Misty pulled away, eyes closed. "We really shouldn't."

"Why?" Cordelia asked breathlessly. She pulled the younger blonde to her again, fingers wrapped around the girl's shawl. "There's nothing wrong with it. This is the most natural anything's ever felt."

"I know. I know. But-" Misty kissed her again, finding it hard to stay away. "I don't wanna lose ya again."

"Again?"

"I've been lookin' for ya ever since I lost ya, and this would definitely anger the powers that be."

Cordelia nipped down her jawline, pausing to suck at the girl's pulse point, leaving the beginnings of a hickey. "What are you, Misty?"

"I can't tell ya that. You're lucky ya know what ya do. You're lucky we haven't been struck where we stand. This is a risk in itself."

"Do you care?"

"No."

OOOoooOOO

It was like Misty was sobbing, but Cordelia couldn't have been sure as she held her. She couldn't get a grip tight enough on the girl sitting in her lap with her head in the crook of her neck. She pulled her closer, breathing her in. Earth and rain and death. Loneliness.

The necromancer was whispering in her ear in short bursts and gasps, repeating her mantra over, and even though Cordelia had heard those words before, this was the first time they sounded so real, truthful.

"Ya shouldn't have. Ya shouldn't have, ya shouldn't have."

The headmistress herself was shaking too now as she tightened her grip on the wild blonde. "What else was I supposed to do? I had to find you." Misty shook her head, her lips attached to Cordelia's neck and moving up her jawline to catch her in a searing kiss, her tears wetting the older woman's dry cheeks. She couldn't cry along with the wild blonde, not anymore, no matter how hard she wanted to.

Misty was fingering her sunglasses, trying to take them off as she kissed Cordelia a little harder, but the headmistress pulled back.

"Misty, don't. Please. It's not pretty."

"I don't care."

The headmistress found her wrists and she tugged her away. "But I do."

Misty sighed against her skin, nipping down her jaw before pulling away properly, to look down at the woman with her blue-green gaze. She raised her hands and traced up Cordelia's face, pausing by her eyes, fingers sliding beneath the glasses. "Misty."

"I know." She paused as she raked her nails down the woman's back. "I missed ya." Cordelia nodded. "But ya shouldn't have done it."

"There was no other way. You wouldn't have gotten out of that place if we hadn't found you. And then you'd have been reincarnated, and I'd have lost you after finding you, and you me. I couldn't live with that. I couldn't live with you dying and me living."

"Death wouldn't stop me. You've loved me past it. Ya loved me when time didn't exist. It wouldn't stop me now." Misty rested her forehead on the woman's. "I'd have found ya again, even if it was in another life."

Cordelia tilted her head down, her face flushing. "Are we in trouble?"

"Oh yeah. He knows now that we've found each other. And He won't be happy." Misty bit at her earlobe, laughing ligthly.

"He."

"Hmm. God, by any other name."

"You're joking."

"I wish I was." Misty sighed softly. "I know him personally, and believe me, He'll be angry."

Cordelia smiled lightly. "And here I thought you were from Lafayette, Misty Day."

The necromancer pushed the woman's hair behind her ear, letting her touch linger. "Misty Day is a fake name as any, and I'm sure you've figured it out. It's not the one I was given, the one I was born with."

"Azazel."

"Yeah. Ya, I mean, ya do realize that this means that our time is limited."

Cordelia cocked her head up. "What?"

"It's happened before. I get talkin' with ya and suddenly I'm thrown into another abyss. I've never gotten this close to ya before. This is the farthest since the first time. I'm surprised I'm still here, but I'm waitin' for hellfire."

"Misty."

"I promise ya I'll find ya next lifetime."

"You're making it sound like you're going now. Don't do that. What can I do?"

"There's nothin' ya can do but wait, Eve."

Cordelia's face twisted into a grimace at the name. "Tell me the truth. Now. Please. I want to know it all. Who are you, who am I?" Her voice fell quiet. "What's happening to us?"

Misty nuzzled into her neck, breathing lightly. "I'm just a simple reincarnation of what I once was, as ya are. Ya were cast out and I was cursed." Her fingers tightened on the woman's shoulders. "Cursed because I corrupted ya."

"You managed that."

"It wasn't hard." The necromancer giggled. "Ya fell hard, ya fell fast. I met you in the garden and ya took to me and I tried to push ya back, ya had Adam. But I loved ya too hard and ya ate that apple."

Cordelia's mouth dropped open, and she waited a moment before speaking. "Adam and Eve."

"Yeah."

"You're saying I'm Eve."

"I'm not sayin'. It's the truth. Ya wanted the truth, there it is."

"Why am I believing you."

"Because ya know there's no reason for me to lie."

"But, you gave me the apple?"

"Ya wanted, _we_ wanted, to be with each other forever. He became angry and cast me out, and I couldn't get back in and we talked through the bars but that wasn't enough. Ya wanted to leave and be with me. It wasn't our smartest idea, but yeah, ya ate that apple." Misty nipped at her jaw, wanting to be closer to her. "Ya were made to live your life and find Adam every time, and I was cursed to watch it happen. God doesn't have a sense of humor, and if he does, then it's fuckin' twisted."

Cordelia's breathing was hoarse as she blinked past her maimed eyes. "This is surreal." She angled her head up. "What do you want from me?"

Misty leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Everythin'. I want ya. All of ya."

"Misty-"

"I want all of ya before I can't anymore, Delia. I always thought I was strong but now in front of ya with the sand running out of its hourglass, I realize I'm not. I'm not strong. I never was." The necromancer's fingers tightened. "I'm going to die in the Seven Wonders, Cordelia. I know it."

"Misty."

"It's the best time, ain't it? It'll look like an incident but ya and I both know it won't be." The wild blonde said. She smiled sadly as she cocked her head to the side. "I guess I have one more hint for ya."

"Misty."

"_Genesis_, Delia." The necromancer whispered. "Can ya remember that?"

"You have it."

"What?"

"You have all of me."

Misty breathed out harshly as her fingers closed around the nape of the headmistress's neck and pulled her up until their mouths met. Cordelia's own hands reached up, tangling in the girl's wild locks and tugging her down to her. She didn't say anything when Misty took her sunglasses and threw them behind her, stiffening slightly as they hit the floor and bounced, but the necromancer's invading tongue made her mind go blank, as did the fingers running down her front and pausing over her breasts. She gasped lightly and Misty grinned into her neck as she made her way down to nip at her collarbone.

"I missed ya."

"I did too."

OOOoooOOO

Cordelia peppered kisses down Misty's jaw as she cried, ignoring the pain behind the way the wild blonde awkwardly held her as she listened to Misty whimper in her ear. The necromancer had walked in through the academy's door, bold as brass, and'd pushed aside the girls in her way, some ending sprawled against the wall. She'd spotted Cordelia from a mile away, and she had no other target as she'd picked her up and marched them upstairs, thrown the headmistress on the bed, and curled up around her. She didn't care that she was mussing up the woman's pristine bed sheets, that she'd left the door open, but from what she understood, neither did Cordelia.

It was pouring outside, and the noise almost covered up the older blonde's reverent once-overs as she looked up into Misty's face, pressing salty kisses to her lips and tugging her down to wrap her arms around her neck. All the necromancer could hear were different utterances of God's names and 'how's.

Cordelia asked again, peering up into her blue-green eyes. "I watched you die, Misty. I watched your body turn into ashes and flow through my fingers. I watched you fade away. How are you here? How am I holding you? How?"

Misty fell to her side and pulled Cordelia closer, nuzzling into her neck. "I had to bargain my way out. I'm just sorry it took so damned long."

"Of hell?"

"Of reincarnation." The necromancer pressed her lips to her skin. "He can be such a jerk when it comes to ya and me."

"I don't-"

"I know."

"But how?"

"I struck a deal."

"What kind of deal? What did you do?"

Misty smiled softly. "Nothing so drastic, Delia." She watched, amused, as the alchemist softened at the nickname. "I erased my debts. It was the only thing that would appease Him. He knows how I love my debts. I threw in Madison's revival too. A little bonus, ya know?"

"That's, that's a lot of debt."

"I do feel slightly empty. Lost. Just a bit." Misty mulled her words over. "I feel a lot lighter, but I don't care. I came back. He let me stay. I have ya."

Cordelia blushed to the tips of her ears.

"You're exudin' power, Delia. Are ya-?"

The older blonde nodded feverishly, her hands closing around Misty's.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"I had an inklin'."

The Supreme paused, watching her with black eyes, and finally grinned.

**EPILOGUE**

"This one's free of charge."

"Oh, goody."

"Be nice, Madison." Cordelia warned, hovering above the dirty blonde. "You're lucky we found you."

"Tell that to my skin. I'm going to need so much moisturizer."

The Supreme and her Chancellor stared the actress down, Zoe standing behind them with a worried look on her face, and Madison finally sighed. "I figure a 'thanks' is in order. So thanks."

"You're welcome."

"So, I only owe you one lifetime still? Not two?"

"You're absolved of your debts. All of them." Misty sniffed. "Use that knowledge well." Cordelia took her hand in hers and kissed the back of it.


End file.
